S O V E R E I G N
by 99feathers
Summary: At age thirteen, Ichigo Kurosaki marries a foreign princess he never meets. Years later, the princess' brother Toshiro Hitsugaya comes to him with an urgent request for him to escort him back to his kingdom...with vampires hot on their trail. HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** S O V E R E I G N**  
Author:** Shao Bei Bei**  
Rating:** M**  
Genre:** Romance/Drama**  
Summary:** At the age of thirteen, Ichigo Kurosaki was married to a foreign princess he never met. Years later, the princess' brother Toshiro Hitsugaya comes to him with an urgent request for him to escort him back to his kingdom...with vicious vampires hot on their trail.**  
Warnings:** Vampires, violence, slash, yaoi, an attempt at plot, alternate universe, original character**  
Author's Note:** Usually I like to plan out all my chaptered fanfictions first, but I didn't feel like doing that for this one. So enjoy this in its unplanned state. This is a pilot chapter; depending on the response I get I may or may not continue this.  
Let me explain something here. Ichigo's kingdom is like America, and Toshiro's kingdom is like Japan. But I'll be writing all the full names first name first, and referring to them that way (unless it's a title thing like Aizen), so you better have a good knowledge of character names if you don't want to get lost.**  
Archived On: **Fanfiction dot net

S O V E R E I G N

S T A R T

Despite his youthful appearance, Royal Inventor Kisuke Urahara had served the Kurosaki family for generations and seen more royal events than any other servant of the palace. This was not the most lavish wedding he had been to, but it was certainly the most unusual. This wedding had the usual Kurosaki touch, with over-the-top sparkles and colorful decorations, but there were several things that made it unique. For one, the bride wasn't present, and for another, the groom was only thirteen.

Maybe King Isshin refused to let him give the kingdom a power grid to distribute his electricity, but Karakura was still quite modern. The legal age to marry in Karakura was eighteen, normally, but this was a political marriage. Prince Ichigo was being married to Princess Jun of Yuki'da in order to finalize a peace treaty between the two kingdoms, so it really didn't matter what age they were. In fact, they could even get divorced later on, if they met someone they wished to marry. But the fact that it was a political marriage did not deter the palace tailor Uryuu Ishida from going all out with the outfits.

That day Ichigo was dressed in traditional clothing from Yuki'da, a robe-thing called a yukata or a kimono or some other absurd word like that, with many layers of beautiful silk with a fall theme. Warm reds, bright golds, and light browns featured prominently in the color scheme, and the orange-haired boy looked decidedly uncomfortable in it. Kisuke thought his own outfit, a striped green and white yukata, was rather comfortable. In fact, he considered wearing it reguarly around here.

In Yuki'da they were probably going through the same thing. In fact, Kisuke wondered if there was a Royal Inventor over there too...

B R E A K

Prince Toshiro Hitsugaya groaned and peeked through the fingers covering his eyes to see if it had stopped yet. Nope. Royal Inventor Mayuri Kurotsuchi had not stopped prancing around in his new Karakura clothes. For some reason they had also sent a strange mask which the inventor had also donned. The mask had helped looking at him, actually, but it didn't mean anyone actually wanted to.

Hitsugaya shuddered a little in his new suit, trying to get comfortable. These clothes were strange, and tight, but he thought they looked rather classy. His twin sister, Princess Jun Hitsugaya, looked beautiful in a sky blue dress with a diamond veil tied around her waist as a sash. She was only eleven, but didn't look all that troubled dancing at her wedding. She accepted her duty as a princess far better than Toshiro did, because _she_ didn't have to marry - he gritted his teeth - Aizen.

As if thinking his name summoned him, the vampire was there in an instant. Head Vampire Aizen was the current leader of all the vampires, and it was his duty to keep their race alive by upholding the conditions of the treaty worked out between the Hitsugaya family and the vampires a millenium ago - by marrying Toshiro.

It was not unusual for a man to marry a man, or for a woman to marry a woman in Yuki'da, but it was unusual for a head vampire to be picky about which prince or princess he chose to marry, since treaty marriages were basically political marriages. Besides the one _denkai_ that would take place on Toshiro's 18th birthday, there was no need for any further interaction between him and Aizen in order to fulfill the conditions of the magical curse Toshiro's family held over the entire race of vampires. Which was why Aizen's attempts to get to know Toshiro better annoyed the young prince terribly.

"Good evening, my prince." Aizen said politely, looking for all the world a gentleman with his hair slicked back and his thick-frame glasses donned, but Toshiro was not fooled. There was something _wrong_ about Aizen that he didn't like, and even though he could have forced him to pick someone else, the prince made the choice he thought was best. Jun wasn't cautious like he was, she was trusting and sweet. And besides, Karakura's royal family might have thrown up a bit of a fuss if they offered them a prince for marriage, since apparently they did not allow same gender marriages over there.

Foreign countries were so _strange._

"Good evening, Head Vampire Aizen." Toshiro forced himself to reply. "Are you enjoying the party?"

Aizen chuckled; this was a ritual they went through at every royal event. He brought out two glasses of rice wine from behind his back and proferred one to Toshiro, sipping from the other.

"As your future husband, I insist you call me Aizen." The vampire said in his oily smooth voice. "And yes, I am enjoying this. It gives me a good idea of what a royal wedding would be like. Would ours be like this, do you think?"

Toshiro hated how he always brought their future marriage into things. He was _eleven_, for gods' sakes, it was ridiculous to keep reminding him.

"I prefer we not have a wedding at all, _Aizen_. We'll just have the _denkai_ and be over with it." He forced out through his gritted teeth as he tried to focus on the wedding ceremony going on. The priest, here specially from Karakura, was saying some sort of nonsense to Jun.

_Denkai_ was the proper term for the ceremony that united man and vampire every royal generation. The chosen prince or princess at that time would assume responsibility for the country by willingly sharing their blood with the head vampire of the time in a marriage, thus keeping the vampires alive for another generation. Without this process all vampires would die within a year, due to a curse Toshiro's ancestors had placed on the vampires when the blood-craving species attempted to take over the world.

Of course, if the royals had chosen to have children with the head vampires they united with then there would surely be inbreeding, especially since vampires lived quite a bit longer than humans and most often a head vampire would have a _denkai_ with two to three royals in his lifetime. After the _denkai_ was over they would eventually divorce and continue on with normal life, but Aizen seemed to want to break tradition.

"Don't be like that, Prince. You'll see eventually that I am not an untrustworthy person." With a surprise nip on the throat he left, leaving Toshiro frozen at his table. When the prince finally registered what happened, the official wedding ceremony had already been completed and Jun ran up to him, untying the diamond veil and leaving it in the grass for servants to pick up as she went.

"Shiro, it's finally over! Let's go play!" She cried, as if she hadn't just been married to someone thousands of miles away.

Toshiro discarded thoughts of what just happened to smile at her and put down his glass of untouched rice wine.

He intensely disliked, could even say that he hated the idea of having a _denkai_ with Aizen. But that was all it took to keep his sister out of the vampire's clutches, he didn't mind it. He didn't mind it at all.

"Alright then, Jun. Let's go change first. Where do you want to go?"

B R E A K

"My son."

Sixteen-year-old Toshiro bowed down before his father, Emperor Juushiro. His servant Rangiku Matsumoto stood behind the emperor, her face full of fear but determination. The prince silently resolved that she must be punished for directly disobeying his order not to tell his father of the plot that she had discovered.

"Yes, father." He said, forehead touching the silk carpet.

"Rise. I wish to speak with my son face to face." Juushiro commanded. Though his eyes were soft and kind, his voice was hard with a note of betrayal. "Rangiku tells me that Head Vampire Aizen had concocted a plot to break the Agreement and the curse. Is this true?"

Toshiro kneeled on one knee, and then second thought, stood. Though a full foot and a half shorter than his father, he looked him in the eye like an equal, teal eyes meeting the emperor's with full force.

"Yes, father, it is." He said. "Rangiku discovered from Aizen's second-in-comand Gin Ichimaru that Aizen plans to use an ancient spell to reverse the curse."

"And what is this ancient spell?"

"Jun and I were the first twins born in the Hitsugaya family since the twins that placed the curse on the vampires. Aizen believes that if he performs a _denkai_ with me before I have my rites, it will break the curse."

Every royal chosen to perform a _denkai_ with a head vampire had to go through special rites at age seventeen so they wouldn't die during the _denkai_, which required the draining of quite a lot of blood. The rites weakened the power in their royal blood so the head vampire wouldn't be able to get stronger from draining them. But if Aizen took Toshiro's blood before the rites, he just might have enough power to break the curse.

"And how will he perform the _denkai_, Toshiro? You must give your blood willingly for it to fulfill the Agreement." Juushiro pointed out.

"Aizen plans to threaten Jun." Rangiku interrupted. "I fear for their lives, Emperor! Please, you must send them away!"

"No!" Toshiro cried out. "Aizen will be suspicious! We can't risk Jun's life!"

"Because Jun's life is more important than yours?" Juushiro asked angrily. "You are my son, Toshiro Hitsugaya, and I refuse to lose either you or your sister. Now, Rangiku has a plan, and I believe it will work."

Toshiro could not disobey his father. He nodded and listened quietly as Rangiku outlined the details of her plan, all the while thinking,

_We cannot let Aizen succeed._

B R E A K

Eighteen-year-old Ichigo Kurosaki scowled when he opened his bedroom door and found another gift from the visiting prince Shinji Hirako. Didn't that blond idiot know he was married already? To someone he had never met, sure, but that didn't mean a thing. And besides, he liked women, no matter how girlish Prince Shinji's hairstyle was.

He shifted uncomfortably in his yukata. It was a replica of the one he had worn at his wedding, only simpler, and according to Uryuu's readings, more suitable for greeting the guest from Yuki'da that had come in the middle of the night. The guest had asked for secrecy so only Ichigo and the royal healer Inoue Orihime knew that she was at the palace. They did not know who she was, but she provided a genuine letter from Emperor Juushiro that said she was there on official business. She came covered in blood and on foot, according to Inoue, but she hadn't been injured at all. Right now she slept in one of the guest rooms in some of Ichigo's old clothes. Apparently it was a funny sight because Inoue couldn't stop giggling when she spoke of it.

He strode down the hallways as majestically as he could, but nearly ruined it by tripping over his own two feet. After adjusting his yukata he walked normally to the guest room reserved specially for visitors from Yuki'da, and knocked on the patterned screen door. When there was no response he called,

"I'm coming in now," and slid the door aside. He'd never been in this room before, and was stunned. Everything was beautifully done, a world of silk and blue and white. A white dragon twirled around on the wallpaper, and its head looked down at the sleeping girl on the futon.

Ichigo had to stifle a laugh. The guest looked a year or two younger than him, but she was rather elfin in size. And Ichigo would know - last year, he and his father made a visit to another kingdom whose prime population consisted of elves. He'd been twice the height of most of the court officials. He got into quite a spot of trouble when he tripped over their king.

He recognized the clothes she slept in as one of the yukatas that had been considered for his wedding outfit. It was sea green with white dragon patterns, and although he'd really liked the dragon matter, the color clashed with his hair and the yukata was too big. The newcomer was practically swamped in it, her white hair fanning out and blending into the cloth, which had silver thread woven into it at some places.

She was beautiful, Ichigo thought. Her white skin had been covered with blood on arrival according to Inoue, but it was clear and smooth now. Her cheeks were tinged slightly with pink, her lips slightly open as she breathed in her sleep. Ichigo swallowed as he realized something.

_This could be my wife._

He could not remember exactly what his wife looked like, since he had last looked at the painting when he was thirteen, but he did remember that she had white hair and clear, pretty teal eyes. If this was her...

He took a deep breath and shook her shoulder, feeling how dainty it was in his large, scarred hand. She stirred with a rather unladylike sound, eyelids sliding up to reveal large eyes exactly the color Ichigo remembered. But as she sat up, her hair did not fall to her shoulders as expected, instead staying up in spikes, and an Adam's apple bobbed in her throat. In the yukata her shoulders were not broad, but not ladylike either, and her chest was flat.

It was most definitely not Ichigo's wife.

"Hello there." He greeted, trying to comprehend how he could have mistaken the visitor for a woman (and his wife at that). "I am Prince Ichigo Kurosaki. May I inquire as to your name and purpose here in Karakura?"

The newcomer yawned and stretched before replying, yukata riding up his shoulders.

"I am Prince Toshiro Hitsugaya of Yuki'da." He stated in an unusually deep voice for his body. "On behalf of my kingdom, I request your assistance."

"Assistance in what?" Ichigo asked, wondering what could be so important.

Toshiro stared Ichigo straight in the eyes. The orange-haired prince was nearly blown back by the intensity in those eyes, but he held his own.

"I need you to escort me back to my kingdom."

E N D

S O V E R E I G N C H A P T E R O N E


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** S O V E R E I G N**  
Author:** Shao Bei Bei**  
Rating:** M**  
Genre:** Romance/Drama**  
Summary:** At the age of thirteen, Ichigo Kurosaki was married to a foreign princess he never met. Years later, the princess' brother Toshiro Hitsugaya comes to him with an urgent request for him to escort him back to his kingdom...with vicious vampires hot on their trail.**  
Warnings:** Vampires, violence, slash, yaoi, an attempt at plot, alternate universe**  
Author's Note:** So I went to the bookstore and I picked up one of Tamora Pierce's books. I was instantly filled with jealousy; her writing is so good! I have to pick things up, start writing better, if I ever want to even dream of getting to her level. I'm going to see if I can evolve my writing style through this story. Imma work on my characterization, and fight scenes, and romance, et cetera, et cetera...  
And also, I only just realized how retarded it was for me to make this original character a canon character's relative _and_ marry her off to another canon character, but I had to have a story. Don't worry, Jun's not like one of those precious original characters toted around by their authors. She's there to keep the story moving, like a prop.

And...THESE VAMPIRES DON'T SPARKLE, BECAUSE SPARKLY VAMPIRES ARE A RETARDED IDEA.**  
Archived On:** Fanfiction dot net and Livejournal dot com

S O V E R E I G N

S T A R T

"What?" Ichigo felt dizzy, Toshiro's words not quite registering in his mind. "Me? Me specifically? To - to Yuki'da? But why?"

Toshiro stood, pushing the seafoam sheets aside. Even standing he was only a few inches taller than Ichigo, who was kneeling. He walked over to a bloodstained bag on the floor, the oversized yukata dragging along the floor with a _sshhp_ sound as his bare feet padded silently on the wooden floor. Digging through it he found a letter printed on grained paper and sealed with Yuki'da palace's official seal, and tossed it at Ichigo, who nearly fumbled it.

The orange-haired prince broke the seal and read the letter from Emperor Juushiro. Some of the things it said he already knew, like how they had an Agreement with the vampires, and how the vampires had a curse that had been placed on them a thousand years before by some past Hitsugaya. However, he never knew that it had been twins that cursed the Hitsugayas, nor that his wife and brother-in-law were the first twins in the family in centuries.

In most magic-using countries (of which Karakura was not one) being twinned usually diluted your power. But Yuki'da, being the only kingdom with vampires in the world, was different. Vampires were not magic, but not human either. It wouldn't be fair to call them the opposite of magic, but it also wasn't fair to say that they did not affect Yuki'da's magic either. The usual laws of magic that applied in every country did not apply in Yuki'da due to the large population of vampires, and that held true for Toshiro and Jun. Instead of both being born with magic, as identical twins usually were, Toshiro had magic twice as strong as normal magic-users, and Jun had none.

It was also through the letter that Ichigo learned of the current head vampire, a vampire named Aizen who planned to use Toshiro's unusually powerful magic to break the curse on his kind. It was because of Aizen's plot that Emperor Juushiro threw up a huge festival, had Toshiro and Jun don matching outfits along with several body doubles, and sent them all out in different directions. Some stayed in Yuki'da, others fled to different countries allied to Yuki'da.

The letter ended with Juushiro's request that as ally of Yuki'da and husband of his daughter, Ichigo hide Toshiro in Karakura and keep him there for a few weeks until a few days before Toshiro and Jun's 17th birthday. Then, Toshiro would be escorted back to the kingdom by his guards to have the rites performed on his birthday.

Ichigo stared at Toshiro, who waited silently as he read. There had been no guards with the icy prince. It was obvious what had happened.

"Aizen found out." The orange-haired man guessed softly. "He sent people after you."

Toshiro nodded.

"My guards sacrificed their lives to protect me." He said quietly. "I will not forget them. Nor will I forget the face of the vampire who slaughtered them. His name is Tousen, I know not much else. He is blind, but that does not hinder him. His hearing is extraordinary, even for a vampire. And I fear he has followed me."

"Well, what do you want me to do?" Ichigo scratched his head, still unsure of his role in all this. "We can offer you protection, of course."

Toshiro closed his eyes and began explaining.

"Yuki'da has two ways for people to enter. One way is the regular way, for normal people like tourists or citizens coming back from vacations. Originally the plan was for my guards and I to enter back through that way. But Aizen is surely watching that entrance. The other way is for special visitors, like foreign royals. It wouldn't be suspicious for you to come to Jun's - your wife's - seventeenth birthday. Turning seventeen is when you're officially an adult in Yuki'da. If you come to the celebration no one will think anything of it, especially if you ask for a divorce so you can marry someone else. You'll smuggle me in with you." He finished. Ichigo was impressed. For a sixteen-year-old midget he was quite smart.

"Ichigo."

When the orange-haired prince brought his gaze back to Toshiro he was shocked to find that the foreign prince was bowing on the floor, forehead touching the ground. Toshiro's voice was hard as he spoke.

"If you cannot protect me, Ichigo, the world will exist no more. Everything will continue to go on, but with Aizen ruling your life will end as you know it. He plans to bring all the countries together as one world, which he will call Hueco Mundo, after his vampire community. All existing royals, nobles, and officials will be stripped of their ranks and made to live among the peasants. And no one but the vampires will be happy anymore. Please. You must do this."

Having taken lessons on etiquette Ichigo knew that the bow Toshiro executed was the most humbling of them all. He was truely serious about this. With a nod he conceded, and called for a servant to summon his father and Kisuke Urahara to the throne room. Toshiro wasn't the only one who could put together a good plan.

B R E A K

After the situation was explained to the two older men, things were put into motion. It would look suspicious if Ichigo waited until right before the birthday celebration to enter the city, since visiting royals normally took a few days to settle in. Plus they'd have to allow a few days in case they had to lie low to avoid a vampire attack. With all that factored in, Ichigo would have to leave almost immediately.

King Isshin had an announcement made that Ichigo would be leaving to seek a divorce from Yuki'da's royal family. Kisuke dragged Toshiro off so he could make a _gigai_, a replica of his body, and make it look like they'd killed him before he had a chance to show his letter as proof that he wasn't a spy. It had a good chance of working, since only the royal family of Karakura and Kisuke knew about _gigai_. And Ichigo had to train as much as he could with the palace trainer Zangetsu before he left.

Halfway during the first training session Toshiro escaped from Kisuke and made his way to the training grounds, where he took a seat on the fence barring outsiders from entering the pen. He had changed into a yukata that fit much better, one that Ichigo recognized as being part of Uryuu's extensive Yuki'da fashion line. It was black with gold threading, and in it he looked elegant and out of place in the dusty field. He was the image of a noble prince, somehow managing to look perfect sitting on that fence, emotionlessly watching them battle as he remained untouched by dirt or dust.

Toshiro Hitsugaya was probably the exact opposite of him, Ichigo mused as he blocked an attack from Zangetsu, whirled around, and struck back. His sword clanged against Zangetsu's and they held fast for a moment, testing their strength against each other. But Ichigo was no longer the fumbling little boy who nearly stabbed himself several times, and Zangetsu was no longer young, and soon they broke apart and started again.

Toshiro was calm, authorative, and smart. He was well-mannered, a quick thinker who also thought plans through carefully, and willing to do anything for his country. Not to mention he was pretty, a fact the little prince denied as soon as he heard Kisuke comment on it. He was completely unlike Ichigo in every way.

Zangetsu nearly got him with a fake and a quick jab, but Ichigo pushed his sword aside in time. His move was clumsy and he got thrown off-balance, though he quickly regained control as he managed to push his trainer further and further back. Zangetsu dealt with this for a few more seconds before he lunged forward and Ichigo became the one defending.

Sure, Ichigo was handsome, but he wasn't refined. He skipped palace lessons as often as he could, and quite frankly did not want to become the king. Karakura would be much better off in the hands of his little sisters. Karin could make logical choices for the kingdom and Yuzu was the soft touch to keep her fraternal twin from becoming a dictator. And it was possible for him to hand off the throne.

But Isshin wouldn't have it. He believed that only a strong ruler could lead Karakura properly (even though he was the one who showed up for Ichigo's fifteenth birthday party in sparkling pink) and refused to allow his little girls to take the dangerous position. And of course, there was _him._

Ichigo gritted his teeth upon remembering _him_, but couldn't think about it any further as he hit the dust, landing on his back with the tip of Zangetsu's sword just millimeters away from his nose.

"You're distracted." The old man said, and put away his sword. "Come back when you're not."

Ichigo sighed and walked over to Toshiro, who held out a waterskin, from which the orange-haired prince drank gratefully.

"You're strong." The teal-eyed boy noted. "Do you have any magic?"

Ichigo snorted. He was always asked this by people who saw him fight. As if he needed magic to help him pick up a sword.

"I do, but it's just a speck. Barely enough to light a candle, and that's all I use it for." Well, there _was_ setting Prince Shinji on fire when he got too close, but that was another matter. "The rest is all me. What about you? That letter says your magic is extremely strong but not much else. Are you a battle mage, or maybe a healer?"

Toshiro snorted.

"If I were a healer, I might have been able to save my guards. No, I'm a battle mage who specializes in ice attacks. And I can't even use that." He said the last part with a hint of bitterness in his tone.

"Why?" Ichigo asked.

"My magic is _too_ powerful. A vampire can sense it from several miles away, so my father had me sealed. I can't use my magic for any more of what you can do until I get this seal lifted, and I can only do that when I get home." Toshiro explained bitterly. Ichigo understood now, an expression of enlightenment on his face.

"Ah! Is that the reason you're so short? The sealing affected your body?" Too late he realized his mistake, as Toshiro snarled at him.

"Why you - I am not short! Yuki'da people are just genetically shorter than Karakura people, that's all!"

"But your father is the tallest man I've ever seen!" Ichigo couldn't help himself from teasing the little prince, who had lost his cool.

"When I get my magic back I am so going to kick you - " He didn't get to finish his threat, though, as a blond man popped out of nowhere and wrapped his arms around Ichigo's torso from behind. "Eh?"

"My dear Ichigo!" Prince Shinji Hirako of Vizard wailed in his accented voice as he hugged Ichigo. "They say yer leaving in a few days! Tell me yer going to be here ta see me off!"

Ichigo twitched slightly. He did not like physical contact from people he didn't like, and Shinji was definitely one of the people he didn't like.

"I'd love to see you go back to Vizard, Shinji, but unfortunately I will be leaving for Yuki'da before your departure." He said as he fought the blond off. As he pried the prince's arms from around his waist, he noticed that Toshiro looked rather - amused, his lips twitching upwards in what could have been a smile. "What?"

"You did not tell me you had a lover." said the little prince. "I had assumed that if you were to die, you would not be leaving a, er, wife behind."

"He's not my lover, and - Shinji, get off! - he's definitely not my wife!" With a final roar Ichigo pulled Shinji off, only to have the blond tearfully throw his arms around his neck and hug him with what seemed to be an even tighter hold. He fought the hug for a few more seconds before realizing it was futile to struggle, and with a sigh gave in, awkwardly putting his arms around his clingy stalker and patting his back. Toshiro only smirked, and murmured something to himself that Ichigo didn't quite catch, but he could have sworn the Yuki'da prince said,

"And to think, I could have married you."

B R E A K

At dinner that night Ichigo was a monster, devouring everything the servants put in front of him. He hadn't had a training session that intensive in months, and his aching muscles proved it. To the side Toshiro daintily nibbled at a salad (something Ichigo would have to remember the next time the little prince denied how feminine he was) while Shinji looked at him with something that resembled jealousy. Ichigo didn't dwell too much on it, though he noticed that the two left dinner at almost exactly the same time.

"Ichigo." Isshin began when Shinji and Toshiro left, and it was only him and Ichigo in the room. "You understand that it is very important that you protect Prince Toshiro."

"Yes." Ichigo furrowed his forehead, wondering why his father was asking him this. It wasn't like the old man to be serious like this.

"Then you understand, that should the situation become futile, you should use _him._" Before Isshin could continue, Ichigo rose right out of his seat, plates clanging to the floor as he yelled,

"No!"

"Ichigo!" Isshin cried.

"I refuse to use _him_, father, he is a berserker and who knows if he won't kill Toshiro too? He's a wildcard, and an unreliable one at that!" Ichigo argued. His father's face softened.

"Yes, Ichigo, I know he may seem that way to you." A large hand reached out and patted his orange spiky hair. "But you realize that he will give you no choice if it seems inevitable in the end. Your body is his, too, and he won't let you die. Even at the cost of someone else's life."

Ichigo turned away, feeling his father's hand slip down the back of his head. As Isshin's hand landed on his robe with a soft thump, Ichigo swallowed, memories ripping past walls that had taken years to build.

"I know." He whispered bitterly, a hot tear sliding down his cheek. The breath of someone who wasn't quite there rolled across the trail the tear left, a chapped lip gently brushed against his ear, and he shivered. "I...I know."

E N D

S O V E R E I G N C H A P T E R T W O

_a/n: Damn. My writing still sucks._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** S O V E R E I G N**  
Author:** Shao Bei Bei**  
Rating:** M**  
Genre:** Romance/Drama**  
Summary:** At the age of thirteen, Ichigo Kurosaki was married to a foreign princess he never met. Years later, the princess' brother Toshiro Hitsugaya comes to him with an urgent request for him to escort him back to his kingdom...with vicious vampires hot on their trail.**  
Warnings:** Vampires, violence, slash, yaoi, an attempt at plot, alternate universe**  
Author's Note:** Thanks for the feedback everyone! I feel better about improving my writing now.  
School will start soon, gah! That means updates won't be very frequent. Add school to my graphics shop on Gaia and you've got a major load of BLAH. (By the way, if anyone here plays Gaia too, I've got the same username on there. Come by my shop and chat!)**  
Logging into my account and reading these reviews you guys write really warms my heart. I hate to sound like a cliche, but you guys give me the strength to keep going. **Lately I'd been depressed because I thought I had no real skills but you guys showed me I have at least some promise in writing.  
Also, I only recently learned that Toshiro's eyes were green. Doh! You don't mind if I refer to them as green from now on?**  
Archived On:** Fanfiction dot net, Livejournal dot com

S O V E R E I G N

S T A R T

There were some moments in life when words were not needed. As Toshiro strode alongside Shinji, trying hard not to be dwarfed, he knew this was one of them. He'd had a strong feeling that the blond prince's true intentions regarding Ichigo went far deeper than shown. Perhaps Ichigo couldn't see past Shinji's sunshine-leaking personality, but even in Yuki'da, surrounded by hundreds of loyal servants, Toshiro had felt the bite of betrayal far too many times.

He could see shadows of great calculation and something akin to cruelty in Shinji's eyes when they appeared fleetingly from under his bangs. Vizard did not become a powerful country through ditziness; no, Vizard's royal families usually had at least four choices for Crown Prince or Princess, and there had to be something in Shinji that made him the top choice.

Something he was about to find out.

"So, Toshiro." Shinji started off casually. "Where are you from?"

Startled out of his deep thinking, it took Toshiro a moment to remember the cover story Isshin and Kisuke had thought up for him.

"Uh, I'm from Alkido." He named a country famous for its people's unique distinction of white hair and blue eyes. In reality he had green eyes but often the color was mistaken for teal or blue, something he hoped the other man would do. "I am an apprentice to a wizard staying here."

"Ah, is that so." Shinji appeared to give his story no more thought as they reached a part of the palace very popular with the guests, the Blue Storm. It was a beautiful garden filled with trees that birthed thousands of gorgeous blue and white flowers every year around this time, and Toshiro could see shadows of people through the shower of petals that gave the garden its name. In contrary to its name, however, it was quite peaceful. Spells laid on the garden made the petals gently glide around guests instead of falling on them, and any conversations not directed at you were muffled.

Shinji entered the garden gracefully; Toshiro managed to do the same after misjudging the depth of the numerous fallen petals that coated the ground at first. Dusting off his robe he followed Shinji to the Eye of the Storm, a little pagoda made of glass in which people could look out and admire the flowers without getting overwhelmed by the thick sweet scent that seemed to get stronger the closer they got to the Eye.

Here in the Eye the falling petals were not nearly so much, but the spells on the garden had been laid strongest here, making things a little more playful. Shinji chuckled as a little serpent-like cluster of petals twirled around Toshiro, flustering him.

When Toshiro managed to escape the demonic flower-pack, he entered the pagoda to find that he and Shinji were not alone. In fact, the place was packed.

A man with spiky red hair and tattoos on his face spoke to a black-haired young woman near the entrance, while a similar-looking man watched them sternly from a few feet away.

Covered in pink petals of unknown origin, a grizzled-looking old man slumbered on a window seat with a bottle of sake in his hand and several at his feet, while a dark-haired woman with glasses looked torn between waking him up and stabbing him.

A dark-skinned, muscular youth with long, wavy locks watched them with a look of confusion on his face, apparently wondering whether he ought to intervene or not.

There was a frightening man, too, with a scar and eye patch visible, but it seemed he wasn't that frightening because a pink-haired little girl was crawling all over him.

And a slender flat-chested girl with freckles was obviously new to the whole idea of staying in Karakura's royal palace; a small tiara perched in her hair when usually visiting royals discarded their signs of true blood immediately upon entrance, glad for the casual feeling that enveloped the place. She seemed to be alone, and more interested in a small indigo ladybug on the floor than anything else.

Toshiro watched her strange behavior for a few more seconds before he noticed Shinji beckoning to him from a place far from the others in the pagoda. He trotted over and Shinji smiled down at him.

"Do you see the red-haired man over there?" He pointed to the one the Yuki'da prince had noticed first. "That is Renji, the legendary swordsman of Gotei - he has a full name, of course, but no one uses it. The woman he is speaking to is the young princess Rukia Kuchiki, who caused quite a controversy when she became the first adopted royal in written history. Over there glaring at them is Crown Prince Byakuya Kuchiki. Rumor has it he is an even better swordsman than Renji, but it can't be proven since Renji kills every opponent he comes up against, and gods forbid that a royal of Gotei risk his life in a petty thing like that, eh? Better to let him die for his country." Shinji seemed to find this idea funny.

"The old man is some washed-out lord from Karakura's oldest ally; that's why he's even allowed into this palace. I think his name is Kyouraku. The woman about to kill him is his caretaker; I dunno about her name. The kid watching them is the son of a close family friend of the Kurosakis. Sado, Chad, something like that. Not much of a big deal, though I hear he's got a heck of a right when it comes to fighting."

"The scary guy is Kenpachi - what a cute name, right? Frighteningly enough, he's a king, and his country's reportedly one of the happiest in the world. No wars, no famine, I don't know how he does it, though I do suspect it's got something do with that pink-haired kid. She goes everywhere with him, and I mean everywhere. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if she goes to the bathroom with him."

"Not too sure about the weirdo over there, but lastly, you've got me. Shinji Hirako, Crown Prince of Vizard. The fuckin' awesomest guy of the bunch." Shinji used the crude language so easily Toshiro wondered if he hadn't been adopted off the streets too.

"Of the bunch?" The white-haired teen inquired. They didn't look like they knew each other. Shinji gave a smile that revealed a bit of his true nature, as he leaned in close.

"I'll let you in on something, Toshiro. All these people? The royals, the nobles? They're here for one thing and one thing only, and it sure as hell isn't the scenery." The blond's warm breath over Toshiro's lips reminded him to breathe as his eyes were held by Shinji's. "You see, Toshiro, maybe the servants will buy the whole wizard apprentice thing, but anyone of true blood can see that there's no way a mere apprentice would have manners like yours. I know you're of the blood, I just don't know which country you come from and why you're hiding it. But I will say one thing."

Shinji smiled brightly, turning away as he spread his arms wide open as if to embrace the people in the room.

"All these people came to court my little strawberry, married he may be. Because Karakura may not know it, but it's on its way to becoming possibly the most powerful country in the world, with Kisuke Urahara on its side. And the moment Ichigo takes the throne, whoever's married to him gets a piece of that power. And I plan for it to be me. Vizard's going to take the power, see, and even this amount of people competing with me is too much. I've been a good boy up until now, but if another player joins the game, I don't know if I can keep from - " He paused, letting the silence drip. " - cheating just a little."

Toshiro was stunned. Even though he was next in line for the throne (despite Jun being five minutes older) and therefore responsible for making choices that would help the kingdom he had no idea this...competition...was going on. Ichigo was being fought over by all these people, but only so he could be used to make their country more powerful. A part of him felt pity for the orange-haired prince, who was much too soft-hearted under his rough exterior and would probably give in to Shinji the moment the blond thought of faking tears, but another part of him asked why he cared. It was the latter part that spoke when he replied to Shinji's veiled threat.

"You have no need to worry, Shinji." He replied icily, bringing his hands together as he turned away. "I have no interest in marrying Ichigo." _He's my brother-in-law._ "And yes, you're right, I am a prince. And I ask you on my honor as a fellow prince to keep this secret, or I just might have to tell Ichigo about this little game going on. I won't mention specific names, of course, but wouldn't it be harder to get close to him if his guard is up?"

Shinji was silent for a moment before he burst out into laughter.

"Now I know who you are! Prince Toshiro Hitsugaya, from Yuki'da, am I right? I remember that voice. We met at that party, right?" The party he spoke of had nearly started a war between Vizard and Yuki'da, but back then Vizard was still a new country and dared not try itself against Yuki'da's vampires. "Of course you'd have no interest in marrying him, your sister already has! So what is this, some sort of ploy? Ooh, I get it! You're going to keep him distracted so he won't be able to request a divorce before your assassins swoop in and kill his father, right?" He looked around eagerly, as if hoping to see these imaginary assassins. "Clever, very clever."

Toshiro rolled his eyes.

"I am hardly interested in Karakura's power. You may have compete for Ichigo's hand in marriage, though I doubt he likes the idea of marrying another man. Yuki'da can do fine on its own." And with that he strode out of the pagoda, and it was only when he left the garden he realized that Yuki'da would be left on its own after this, wouldn't it? There were two likely outcomes if he and Ichigo succeeded. One was that the vampires would be forced back into service for the Hitsugayas, but the other, far more likely, was that the vampires would attempt a revolt anyway, and end up being slaughtered. The vampire army Yuki'da wielded was its only advantage over other countries. What would happen to his country once word got out the vampires were no more?

He decided thoughts like that were best left for the long journey out of Karakura, and continued on his way back to his room.

B R E A K

Shinji laughed softly to himself as he watched Toshiro go. What a feisty little prince! And of course he meant 'little' in all aspects. He smiled at Kyouraku's caretaker, who glared at him suspiciously, and gave the freckled princess on the floor a pat on the head. His hand brushed her tiara by accident, and he frowned, turning to stare at her. The tiara felt like it was made of bone: dried, sanded bone. Not the usual silver or gold most princesses demanded.

She stared right back, her eyes wide open and innocent. Shinji couldn't shake the feeling that there was something wrong, something _inhuman_ about her. Her look made him feel like shaking his limbs to get rid of the creepy-crawly feeling. He gave her a quick, fake smile and then left as fast as he could.

B R E A K

Wonderweiss wondered a little bit about the blond prince, but not much. He returned to watching the ladybug, adjusting the uncomfortable dress he wore a little. It was upon doing this that he remembered why he was here and wearing a dress. Tousen had sent him in to look for information on the prince that had escaped. He was pretty sure that had been the white-haired boy who left just a few minutes ago, but he couldn't be sure, since he hadn't listened very carefully to their conversation.

He sighed. Tousen would probably scold him, but it was enough that the boy matched the description given, right? He was supposed to sneak out of the palace and give the information to the blind vampire, but Wonderweiss liked it here. People treated him very nicely. It wouldn't hurt if he stayed here a little longer. Things were so different here in Karakura compared to Hueco Mundo. Everything was bursting with life and magic here, when Hueco Mundo was like a drain of all the happiness in life. Wonderweiss didn't like it there. That's why he was grateful Tousen had asked Aizen to let him stay in Yuki'da.

Yes, he decided, as he tipped the indigo ladybug over on its back again. It wouldn't hurt at all if he stayed for a few more days.

He hummed slightly, not moving even when the red-haired man with a bad temper crouched down beside him and attempted to start a conversation.

"So how long are you going to stay here, princess?" The tattooed man asked. Wonderweiss finally let the ladybug go.

"Just a few more days." He told him in the soft, sweet voice he had rehearsed with Tousen. "And then it'll all be over."

The red-haired man looked confused.

"What'll be over?" He asked, but Wonderweiss didn't reply. Instead he got up and walked to the open entrance of the pagoda. The blue petals fluttered around him as soon as he moved a finger out of the protective spells laid on the glass building. He liked these flowers. Seeing them cheered him up, so he decided to answer the swordsman's question before he left.

"Your world, of course." And he stepped out into the garden.

B R E A K

Toshiro slid open the door to his room to find Ichigo pacing around. Caught off-guard, he did nothing but stand there for a few seconds before snapping back to attention. _Idiot_, he told himself, _What if it had been Tousen standing there?_

But it wasn't Tousen, so he stepped inside the room.

"Excuse me." He spoke calmly, trying not to startle the worried prince. "Is there a problem?"

Ichigo looked at him. His eyes were wide, his hair tussled from being toyed with too much, and the moment he saw Toshiro it was like a switch had been flicked on inside him. The green-eyed teenager watched as Ichigo slowly sank to his knees on the straw flooring, one hand gripping the windowsill for support.

"Toshiro." Ichigo whispered. Toshiro had the eerie feeling that the orange-haired man wasn't really speaking to him. What had spooked him? Had he - his blood froze at the thought - seen Tousen? Been threatened by him? But that didn't make any sense. Why didn't the blind vampire just go after him?

He stepped closer to the older man. A sudden pang of worry, something he'd been feeling more and more often lately, compelled him to reach out and shake Ichigo's shoulder, but right before he grasped it Ichigo's scarred hand wrapped around his wrist with a nearly crushing grip.

"Toshiro," Ichigo said again, only this time his eyes bored directly into his. His expression was no longer lost; instead it was serious and determined. "I must warn you. If we run into any danger, I may...change. It'll be easy to notice, and I want you to know that if I do, you need to _run._ As fast and as far away as you can."

"What - " Toshiro started, but Ichigo toppled forward. His face hit the Yuki'da prince's shoulder, slowing breaths panning out over the little bare skin there was like clouds rolling through the sky. A quick check told Toshiro Ichigo was out cold, and that it'd be near impossible to drag him back to his room, if he even figured out where he was. He supposed he could call servants to help, but then he'd have to explain why Ichigo was in his room.

Toshiro surveyed the futon on the floor. It looked big enough for two people. With a grunt he pulled the orange-haired man over to it, unceremoniously dumping him there in a rather strange position. He rolled him over until a suitable amount of space was left there for him, and then started to prepare for bed.

B R E A K

The air smelled faintly of sweet rain, but only faintly due to the overpowering smell of sand and dust that always surrounded this place. Ichigo had probably left behind a very confused Toshiro, but here the outside world didn't matter much. Here he had the one thing in the world he wanted most back.

Through the same ritual he had been taught the first time he'd been here, he closed his eyes and breathed in through his nose, and out through his mouth. His breath formed a little cloud in the air that he followed through the quickly drying puddles to find Masaki Kurosaki standing on a hill, staring out over the desert that was, as he had been told, Ichigo's heart.

"Telling Toshiro to run was a little mean to _him_, don't you think?" She asked. A few seconds of silence passed. "When are you going to forgive him?"

"Never, mother." Ichigo replied. She asked that same question every time he came here. "And he probably doesn't care."

She laughed, and he wished he could see the smile in her eyes. But he couldn't look at her face, not with this feeling of hatred in his heart.

"He cares a lot more than you think, Ichigo." Masaki said. "I didn't raise my son to be so careless about other people's feelings."

"He's not a person." Ichigo retorted angrily. He hated this conversation that they seemed to have every time he came here, but he loved his mother. And then he continued softly, trailing off at the end,

"He could...he could never be human."

E N D

S O V E R E I G N C H A P T E R T H R E E


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